Everyday thankfulness is a choice you make, and the reward will make you joyful. As a matter of fact, it is a choice that you need to make. Rejoice is your choice!
What are you grateful for today? Can you list 100 things that you are thankful for?
However an ultimate challenge would be to think of thousands of reasons to be grateful and it could take few years to accomplish.
I had an opportunity to meet a lady that had written a journal and focusing on one thousand reasons to be grateful and she published a photo album as a result. That’s amazing!
Are you ready for an ultimate “being-grateful-challenge”?
Medical benefits of Gratitude
The meaning of being grateful is literally (according to the Oxford Dictionary) “feeling or showing an appreciation for something done or received”.
It is like having your heart and mind full of something good that you have received. We need to embrace even the small things and find enjoyment in simple things with gratitude attitude.
The studies are showing that experience and expression of gratitude has wide variety of positive, healthy effects on a person.
According to the study published by the Royal Society, gratitude improves psychological and physical health.
1) Firstly, as a matter of a scientific fact, being joyful changes the molecular infrastructure of your brain cells and keeps your grey matter in the brain fully functioning. It is more difficult to be anxious when you’re grateful.
2) Secondly, attitude of gratitude affects your central nervous system. It gives you feelings of happiness and peace. It makes you less reactive and less resistant. You’ll find that worries, fears, pains and aches disappear from your physical body and are replaced with overflowing joy and smile on your face.
3) Thirdly, researchers have linked gratitude to lower blood pressure, fewer aches and pains and improved immunity. Improved health increases your happiness.
4) Fourthly, being grateful and having the mindset of gratitude improves relationships, having less aggression, more self-esteem and also improves sleep. That’s great news!
The meaning of being thankful literally (according to the Oxford Dictionary) often implies the acknowledgement of giving thanks for something that someone has given you.
Who are you thankful for today?
Attitude of Gratitude creates Happiness
Joy is defined by a feeling of extreme gladness or delight from a sense of wellbeing and satisfaction.
Passive joy is a feeling of peace and contentment while an active joy gives you a desire to share your happiness with others. Both joys are related to higher energy levels, confidence and self-esteem.
Joy is a gift from God.
A cheerful heart brings health to your bones. Heart represents your mind and bones represent your inner strength.
Joy in our mind gives us supernatural inner strength.
Hebrew word for joy is “simchah” and derives from the meaning of rejoicing.
Also “sason” means exultation and the word “sassy” derives from this Hebrew word. Sassy means lively, spirited and bold. Rejoicing makes you feel alive and courageous.
Biblical joy is defined as continuous gladness of the heart that is not related to your circumstances or possessions.
And when you choose to be cheerful without complaining, no matter the circumstances and the seasons in your life, this decision will bring you more and more inner joy and gladness.
Sometimes we need grace to love and forgive ourselves. After all, our Heavenly Father loves us unconditionally and we can be so grateful for this matter.
3 Easy Tips for having an Attitude of Gratitude
Here are three easy tips for simple gratitude meditation:
1)Thankfulness by Thinking
When you wake up in the morning, create a beautiful space for yourself with a cup of tea or coffee.
List ten (10) things that your are grateful for today.
Focus your thoughts on good and positive things in your life and ignore the annoying challenges in this moment.
Meditate on the goodness of God and begin to say “Thank You” for the new day and decide to be grateful and happy for new opportunities.
2) Intellectual Imagining
Imagine and contemplate that you are in your happy place right now. It could be somewhere in a beautiful nature, garden, beach, mountain.
Take a deep breath and imagine yourself without any worries of this world.
You can be free and feel the wind and be sun-kissed and glowing with joy and happiness.
You are adored and loved beyond your imagination. There is grace available for the things that you haven’t yet done.
Be thankful who you are and what you have.
Choose to be thankful for all the people that support you.
Choose to be thankful for even those people that are challenging and those that push your tolerance buttons.
3) Peaceful Planning
Meditate on the daily tasks that are needed to done for the day.
Rest in assurance that everything will be accomplished and peace that surrounds your understanding will overshadow you.
Pray for all things that worries you.
Be thankful and confident that everything that needs to be done in a specific timeframe, will be done.